Economic Development Strategy for Wairarapa

“Revised Economic Development Strategy for
Wairarapa Released for Comment”

For this region to provide
a sustainable level of economic wellbeing for its
population, it needs more people. That is the basis of the
revised Economic Development Strategy for Wairarapa which
has just been released by Go Wairarapa for public
comment.

It has been 3 years since the last Economic
Development Strategy was released to cover the period
2002-2007. At its midpoint it was appropriate to review it
to ensure its relevance.

This review has resulted in a
change of emphasis while retaining the core theme of the
strategy.

The Land, our greatest resource, remains the
basis of all economic activity and this is unlikely to
change. However, while the previous strategy focussed on
addressing a whole range of issues that hindered the
development of the region, the new draft Strategy has just
three goals:

- Population growth – 10,000 more people by
2025 (total of 48,500)

- Workforce – a population that has
a strong workforce component

- Skills and Productivity – a
high proportion of the workforce in high skill/high value
jobs

“For an economy to be able to sustain itself, it
needs a critical mass and Wairarapa’s population of 38,500
does not achieve this” says Geoff Copps, Economic
Development Manager of Go Wairarapa. “It is our belief that
we need at least 10,000 more people which would mean growing
our population at just above the NZ average for the next 20
years. It is also our belief that we can cater for this rise
in population without jeopardising our quality of life and
what makes Wairarapa special.”

The second goal of having a
strong workforce component of the population is a way of
defining what sort of population growth is sought – a
balanced population across all age groups. By working to
ensure that the population growth includes working age
people, there is less chance of labour shortages hindering
economic wellbeing and also more chance that the growing
population will support social infrastructure such as
schools and sports clubs which are vital to our quality of
life.

Lastly, there is no doubt that this region is
characterised by lower wages than many other areas both
within NZ and offshore. The key to raising this level is to
be more skilled and more productive.

Geoff Copps says “It
is all very well to have bold goals but without a pathway to
achieving them, they are pointless. We have developed 6 key
drivers of economic wellbeing that we believe will assist
the region to achieve its goals. They relate to existing
activities by a whole range of organisations but by having a
common set of goals, we believe that more collaborative
action may be possible.”

The Six Drivers of Economic
Wellbeing are:

- Irrigation

- Innovative Land Use

-
Visitors

- Infrastructure

- Inward Investment

- Youth
& Community Enterprise

The rationale of each of
these drivers is spelt out in the Draft Strategy document
along with the related national and international strategies
and the key stakeholders.

The final part of the strategic
equation is measurement as goals and actions are no good if
you don’t know whether you have reached the target or not.
The Draft Strategy provides some examples of measurement
systems that could be used to monitor progress.

As Doug
Matheson, Chairman of Go Wairarapa states “This strategy is
presented as the draft economic development chapter of wider
plans for the region currently being developed, particularly
the Local Authority Long term Council Community Plans. These
focus on the social, economic, cultural and environmental
factors that contribute to the wellbeing of our
communities.”

“The ideas contained in this document are
open for consultation and debate. I encourage you to read
this draft plan, think about it, and constructively help to
develop it further.”

The Draft Economic Development
Strategy is available from the two offices of Go Wairarapa
in Masterton and Martinborough (the Visitor Information
Centres) and will shortly be available on the
www.wairarapanz.com website.

The document contains a set
of questions designed to encourage feedback.

The
consultation phase lasts until 31 August after which the
feedback will be factored into the various actions plans of
the various stakeholders for implementation in the 2006/7
year and beyond.

“If you value what we have in Wairarapa
and have an opinion on what could or should be done to
maintain this, then you need to get a copy of this Draft
Strategy and provide feedback. This Draft Strategy is
challenging and provocative. It suggests clear goals that
may not appeal to all. We need to hear that feedback so
don’t delay.” Says Geoff Copps.

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